


Nemesis

by xForEverythingElse (PrimaryScavQueen)



Series: Surrender, Dorothy [9]
Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 15:15:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20602922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrimaryScavQueen/pseuds/xForEverythingElse
Summary: Trust is put to the test when Ms. Lint offers Overkill and Team Tick a deal





	Nemesis

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect, are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Author's Note: One more chapter and an epilogue to go after this! Thanks for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated! <3

Three days. Three day since The Terror escaped before his trial and kidnapped Dot. Three days with no new intel. No news. No nothing.

Overkill wanted to burn the fucking world down until she was back beside him.

Inside Rathbone’s office, he paced the length of the room in restless strides while the others talked. His former commander had gathered Arthur, Joan, Walter, Tick, and Steve to discuss what other course of action they could take. He kept one ear on the conversation but it was going nowhere. Sliding a butterfly knife from his belt, he absently flipped it in his hand as he moved.

Every once and a while, he noticed Arthur and Walter, who were both dressed in tactical gear; Arthur in his moth costume, Walter in the standard AEGIS jumpsuit, watching him wearily which gave him a grim sort of satisfaction. They knew not to bother him. He pivoted, moving towards the large glass windows when he felt the energy of the room change. Tensions rose and he felt the air around him crackle with an unmistakable electric charge that could only mean one thing. _She_was here.

The knife was out of his hand the second he turned, flying towards her face. Lint didn’t move and the only thing that stopped it from hitting it was the Tick’s intercepting hand. He plucked the blade from the air and closed it, tossing it back at Overkill.

“Not cool.” The giant blue pain in his ass chided.

Lint raised her hands in the universal sign of peace. “Consider this a parley.”

“We’re not fucking pirates.” Overkill snapped.

“Janet, you’re considered enemy number one of AEGIS.” Rathbone said smoothly, the authority ringing in his voice, “What is stopping us from arresting you on sight?”

“I have a bargaining chip.” She replied simply as her lackey stepped out from behind her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“What do you think would be a big enough bargaining chip that you would get out of here scott free?” Rathbone demanded.

“I know where Dot is.”

Overkill burst into movement, bolting across the room, ripping his glove off in the process, before he clamped his cybernetic hand around her slender throat. She didn’t deserve the luxury of fabric between his hand and her skin; not now, not ever after what she’d done to him. He expected to taste her electricity as he picked her up and slammed her into the wall. Nothing came. She wasn’t defending herself.

He could hear the others objecting: the horror of Joan’s gasp, Tick’s droning lecture, Arthur’s anxious plea. Ignoring them all, he leaned in close to Janet.

“Her life is not a bargaining chip.” He kept his voice low.

“It’s all you have, Esteban.” She gasped out, her eye darkened, “How much do you love her? As much as you did me?”

“I love her.” He let his tone go silky, as deadly as he was. “And because of that, I know I never loved you.” Because of Dot, he knew the difference now and instead of that feeling being a weakness, he turned it into a weapon against Janet’s armor.

Janet’s working eye grew wide and he knew his words his home, sending a bolt of satisfaction through him.

“Stand down, Shooter!” Rathbone’s voice boomed in a sharp reprimand.

He gave her another minute before he let over and Janet took a deep wheezing breath. She tracked him with her good eye as he retreated as far as he could get from her. Steve moved next to him and handed Overkill back his glove. Thank Christ Steve always had his back. He gave him a nod and slid the tactical glove back over his hand.

Rathbone offered Janet some water and Overkill rolled his eyes. She had very slight healing abilities, not enough for big things like whatever happened to cause her to lose her eye and leave the scar down her face but enough for him choking her a bit. Taking the bottle Rathbone handed her, she unscrewed it and took a drink. Then another.

And a third.

Jesus fucking Christ, he was two seconds from going over there and ripping it out of her hands, then ripping out her throat.

“Enough of the delaying, Janet.” Overkill snapped, “Tell us what you know.”

“Not until I get my pardon.” She replied, capping the bottle.

Overkill looked to Rathbone. His face was a serious mask and the lights above them flickered for a moment.

“Using your powers won’t help sway his decision.” Walter told her.

“That wasn’t me.” She said at the same time Overkill and Frank echoed her. “That wasn’t her.” They said together.

Arthur’s eyebrows rose up his forehead while the Tick’s antenna moved, feeling around the air, letting out a soft _huh _under his breath.

“Fine. You have your pardon.” Rathbone finally answered.

“I want it in writing.” Janet drawled.

“You’ll have it.” Rathbone crossed his arms across his barrel chest, just under the metal valve, “As soon as we know your information is good.”

She sighed and crossed her arms as well. “The Terror has her.”

“We know that; CCTV gave us that information.” Arthur’s voice was rough.

“What you don’t know is he’s testing her limits.” Janet replied, her eyes flicked over to Overkill, “She doesn’t have much longer.”

Overkill’s stomach dropped. “Tell me.”

She cast a glance at Arthur, at Joan, before her brown eye swung his way while her glass eye stayed where it was. “Last I saw, she was hanging from hooks in her back and he had sown her mouth shut.”

Joan gasped before bursting into tears. Walter’s arms where there to comfort her instantly while Arthur took a seat, his body dropping heavily.

_“He sewed my mouth shut.”_Dot’s words echoed in his head from all those weeks ago when he was convinced her dream had been simply that, a dream. Not one of her premonitions.

“What is it, Shooter?” Rathbone asked.

“I failed her.” He replied thickly, his throat tightening, “She saw this. I promised her I wouldn’t let it happen…”

“What do you mean she saw this?” Janet asked, a curious note to her voice.

“Nothing.” He snapped, advancing towards her, “_You left her there_.” He growled.

Lint stood her ground. “I had to.”

He stopped in front of her, the urge to tear her apart as deep as any hunger he had felt. “_Why?!”_

“Because I needed The Terror to think I was still on his side.” She answered, studying his face, “Because I want the same thing I offered you once before. I want him _dead_.”

“She’s made the offer before?” Arthur piped up, “Why didn’t you take it?”

“Because she can’t be trusted.” Overkill didn’t bother to keep the harsh bite from his tone, “Because she’s the reason the Five died. She’s the reason your father died. She had the codes to the jet that allowed The Terror to lock on to our coordinates and blow us out of the sky with that tainted missile.”

“Don’t forget how I got them, Shooter.” Janet said, her voice a quiet sing-song, “I got them because of you, Tiger.”

“And I have to live with that for the rest of my life.” He gritted his teeth, “Why should I trust you ever again? Especially now.”

“Depends on if you want to see your lover again.” Her expression flickered for a moment, “I want him dead just as much as you want her back. I’m giving you that chance again.”

The world narrowed and he stared into her eyes. Her brown one seemed sincere which meant as much as the void gaze of her black-and-flame glass eye. A small little smile tilted the corners of her lips and he remembered the first time he fell for it and his stomach churned. He growled and turned away from her, nearly colliding with her henchman.

“Do you want me to give you another coma punch?” Overkilled demanded.

“If you don’t believe her because of your sordid past, fine.” He said, “But I owe Dot and I want to get her out of there.”

“You _owe _her?” Arthur butt in, “How?”

“When saved my life when she was working for Stosh.” The man explained, “I got hit bad and nearly bled out from internal bleeding. But she stopped it and sewed me up. She’s the only reason I’m alive.”

“Working with Stosh?” Arthur repeated slowly.

Overkill cleared his throat. “Her family didn’t know about her side job.”

Frank sighed and scrubbed his face. “But you did.”

“Of course.”

“Look, I couldn’t get her out the first time, but to save her, we need to all work together.”

“Destiny says that we should listen.” The Tick’s voice suddenly broke through the din.

“Fuck Destiny.” Overkill objected and turned to Arthur, to Rathbone, “Do you believe them?”

Slowly, Arthur nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“Would you rather waste a lead, son?” Rathbone asked.

Overkill acknowledge that with a low grunt. “I take it you have a plan, Janet?”

“Don’t I always, Tiger?” She purred.

He rolled his head from side to side, his skin crawling at the sound that once made his body come alive. “Stop calling me that.”

“Fine, Shooter.”

“That too.”

“Okay, Esteban.”

“Damn it, Janet. I will murder you.” He gritted out, his temper rising.

She smiled, knowing like he did that his threat was hollow…for now. Steve put a hand on his shoulder.

“If you two are done acting like children,” Walter interrupted, “I’d like to hear this plan.”

Janet turned her attention to Rathbone and looked at him expectantly. “First, you’ll be needing to make a phone call…”


End file.
